Sky apps back on Google Play following account hack

Full complement of Sky Android apps available once again after recent hack by Syrian Electronic Army

A quick heads-up for Sky subscribers in the UK -- the satellite broadcaster's range of Android apps has returned to the Play Store today following its Google Play account being hacked. The hack occurred over the weekend and was attributed to the Syrian Electronic Army, whose banners appeared on the apps' Play Store listings.

In the wake of the attack, Sky's apps were pulled from Google's app store, however the broadcaster has insisted that the apps themselves were not changed. As of this morning the full suite of Sky apps is once again available, including Sky News, Sky Sports, Sky+ and Sky Go. Sky subscribers can click here to view a full list of apps.

Upcoming 10-inch Galaxy Tab reportedly powered by Intel Atom CPU

Reuters and Korea Times report that Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 will run on Clover Trail+ CPU

Chip giant Intel could be about to enter the Android tablet world in a big way, if reports from Korean newspaper the Korea Times and news agency Reuters are to be believed. The publications suggest that Samsung will opt for the latest x86-based Clover Trail+ chip in its upcoming Galaxy Tab 3 10.1 instead of more common ARM-based designs, including its own Exynos range.

Rumors of an Atom-powered Galaxy Tab have been circulating online for some time, but today's reports offer a little more fine detail. Reuters reports that a Clover Trail+ processor will be used in "at least one version" of the 10-inch Galaxy Tab 3, though it was unable to confirm whether other SoCs would be used in different versions of the device. The Korea Times says that Intel has upped its staff of Korean-based Atom engineers from six last year to around 50 at present in order to facilitate the new partnership with Samsung, which includes this Atom-powered Tab 3. The newspaper's source describes it as a "win-win" deal for both Samsung, which is seeking to diversify the chips used in its devices, and Intel, which needs to gain a mobile foothold in an increasingly post-PC world.

We're anticipating the arrival of several Android and Windows-based gadgets at the company's 'Premiere 2013' event in London on June 20, and Reuters expects Atom-powered Ativ tablets to be among these devices. The news agency couldn't confirm whether the new Tab 3 10.1 would be at that event, however. Whatever's on show, we'll be live from London to bring you full coverage.

Dish announced today that it has put in a cash tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of Clearwire for the price of $4.40 per share, adding yet another twist into the relations between Dish, Clearwire, Sprint and Softbank. The deal stands proudly as a 29-percent premium over what Sprint is currently offering for the other 49.2-percent of Clearwire it doesn't currently own at $3.40 per share, and sweetens the deal further by offering to buy out the entire company all at once. In its offer, Dish explains that it will agree to purchase a smaller amount of Clearwire if only a portion of the minority shareholders agree to the deal, as long as it is greater than a 25-percent stake in the company. As another condition, Dish is also requiring that it receives at least 3 board member positions for that 25-percent stake, and more if a larger portion of the company is acquired.

Naturally, Dish is urging any and all shareholders to agree to accept its offering, as it will be a great competitive play in the complex mess of offers and mergers currently happening between the companies. If Clearwire agrees to let Dish acquire it, Softbank's offer to buy a 70-percent stake in Sprint -- a deal which had Sprint acquiring Clearwire as a condition -- could be compromised. In light of this new offer from Dish, Clearwire is postponing its scheduled May 31st shareholder meeting until June 13th in order to give enough time to review it. The offer will be available to Clearwire until June 28th, and Dish has expressed that it is ready and willing to finalize the deal as quickly as possible.

After Earth game now available to coincide with movie release

A movie-themed endless runner with a few interesting gameplay elements

In a partnership with Sony Pictures, Reliance Games is releasing a new game for mobile devices based on the upcoming feature film from Will Smith, After Earth. The game, which ties in directly to the cast, plot and setting of the movie, fits well into the "infinite runner" genre made popular by games like Temple Run. Throughout the game, you're running, driving, jumping and flying along with a third-person view through levels to collect coins for as long as possible without dying. There's a complete 20-level story mode available that walks you through a complete plot and lets you unlock new levels along the way, as well as an "Infinite Mode" for additional gameplay options. The game also includes different achievements and high score tracking, as you would expect, to give the game some replay value.

The game has just gone live in the Play Store a day ahead of the movie's release here in the U.S., and can be downloaded for a mere $0.99. The graphics and gameplay look quite good, and it may just be a nice break from the other endless runner games you've been playing for a while now. You can see a quick gameplay trailer above, and can grab a download of After Earth at the Play Store link there as well.

Sony Xperia Z coming to a U.S. carrier soon, according to CEO Kaz Hirai

Precisely which U.S. carrier, however, isn't being specified at this time

Speaking at the All Things D conference, CEO of Sony Kaz Hirai made a not-so-subtle statement that the manufacturer's flagship Xperia Z handset will be landing in the U.S. with carrier support very soon. While Hirai wasn't willing to go more into depth or hint at which carrier it was, we can probably narrow down the options a little bit. Traditionally, Sprint and Verizon haven't had very strong ties with Sony for handset releases, and given that the current Xperia Z models being sold internationally (and directly to the U.S.) are GSM, we'd assume this handset would be very similar. AT&T has partnered with Sony for some recent device releases, but the biggest hint we have right now are some leaked pictures of the Xperia Z with clear T-Mobile branding.

Neither Sony nor T-Mobile are giving any hint as to when the expected launch would take place, but we would hope soon considering that the Xperia Z has been available internationally for a few months now. It's good to see that Sony is still willing to put in the effort to sell devices to the U.S. market, especially after some serious price drops in its Xperia ZL handset being sold unlocked here. We all know that carrier deals are a necessity in the current market, though.

Mobile Nations podcast 21: Announcing Talk Mobile 2013!

Kevin Michaluk of CrackBerry, Phil Nickinson of Android Central, Daniel Rubino of Windows Phone Central, and Rene Ritchie of iMore come together to talk about… Talk Mobile 2013! What is it, how will it work, and just how awesome will it be? Find out!

Gameloft releases UNO & Friends online multiplayer card game

Cross-platform and customizable gameplay breathe fresh air into a classic card game

In partnership with Mattel, Gameloft is releasing a new version of its extremely popular UNO game that expands the gameplay to online multiplayer. UNO & Friends builds on the classic card game to provide users with simple and customizable cross-platform multiplayer games -- and best of all its free to play. The game plays just like any other UNO game, but you get the bonus of customizable backgrounds, decks and special effects along with different perks and power-ups. Of course with a free to play model you can bet there are in-app purchases, but these don't seem to be required and are merely for extra features.

In order to get linked up with friends for multiplayer you'll have to use Facebook Connect, but the bonus of that is Gameloft says a web version of the game through Facebook is coming very soon. It also means that you can play games concurrently with both Android and iOS users, which is a big plus. You can grab a download of UNO & Friends at the Play Store link above.

CyanogenMod 10.1 RC3 now available

A 'small, incremental change' over RC2

As the road to a stable CyanogenMod 10.1.0 release continues, the CM team has today started pushing out RC (release candidate) 3 builds for phones, tablets and other devices. If you're running any earlier build, you'll want to update via the get.cm download hub or CM updater app.

A Google+ post by the team reveals that it's a "small, incremental change" from the previous RC2 build, with fixes for issues including camcorder preview bugs, launcher icon alignment in tablets, disappearing widgets, along with a bunch of translation updates.

CM 10.1 RC3 is available for some 37 devices at the time of writing, so your best bet is to hit up the source link and check the list for your model's codename.

Channel your inner Ninja Warrior with the Android game of the same name

I have absolutely no qualms about admitting that I've spent the occasional weekend in bed, watching "Ninja Warrior." Now I can play the game while watching the show.

Ninja Warrior is now available for Android (as well as the Kindle Fire and iOS), and it brings a decently fun game to your phone and tablet. It's a side-scroller that uses basic gestures for jumping and sliding and ducking and what not, and the graphics are passable, if not overly impressive. There are all sorts of in-game upgrades and achievements and clothes, which would be more fun if you didn't also need to be a ninja to navigate the UI. It's pretty busy.

Gameplay isn't overly difficult, but we'd love to see some sensitivity options. Swiping just doesn't seem to be as quick as we'd expect. Wind-up Knight is a great example of how we'd expect this sort of game to behave, but Nina Warrior just doesn't quite live up to that.

The good news is that for $1.99, you don't have to break the bank to give it a go, and you get a bunch of levels to keep you occupied. Hit the link above to download, and we've got screenshots after the break.

Google introduces nutritional info cards for food searches

Making it easier to do quick research and maybe shed a few pounds along the way

Google announced today on its official search blog that it is rolling out a new search feature that highlights nutritional information about food. While searching for food often yielded nutritional results, Google is now pulling together that information into the well-known "card" interface to display at the top of search results. Making the search of "How many calories in popcorn?" will return a card showing the number of calories in a cup of air popped popcorn (it's 31, in case you were wondering) along with drop-down menus where you can adjust the specifics of your search. Google says this new functionality will work with over 1,000 different fruits, vegetables, meats and complete meals right at launch.

The new nutritional information cards are English-only for now, and will be rolling out to users in the U.S. over the next 10 days. We did a few quick searches on our phones and desktops without receiving the new cards, but they should arrive on all platforms in due time. Now all you have to do is use this nutritional information to your advantage and maybe shed a few unnecessary pounds this summer.

Telly launches new tablet-optimized version of its app

New features such as 'carousel view' highlight the properly-designed tablet experience

Telly, a service that helps you create, discover and share videos on your mobile device, is launching a completely redesigned and tablet-optimized version of its app today. In an attempt to build on its growing user base, Telly is introducing a new tablet design that was built from the ground-up for the larger screen size with a few new notable features. The larger interface is easier to navigate, with extra room being taken up by "My Telly" and "Popular" feeds to help discovery. The main portion of the UI is comprised of a new "carousel view", which makes it simple to swipe between videos and browse for something interesting to watch.

Along with the new interface improvements, Telly is also introducing two new features to improve sharing. Both NFC sharing between two devices and friend tagging (by their @name) will hopefully improve discoverability and sharing between Telly users. Video is one of the main selling points for tablets nowadays, and it's important to see Telly working on improving its tablet experience if it hopes to grow its user base going forward. You can grab a download of the latest Telly app at the Play Store link above.

FAQ: The 'Google Edition' HTC One

Everything you need to know about the HTC One with Nexus User Experience

Google and HTC today announced the "Google Edition" HTC One, which basically is an HTC One running stock (more or less) Android 4.2.2. That, of course, resonated deeply among those who prefer the "stock" Android experience. But the HTC One -- like the Samsung Galaxy S4, which also will be released as a "Google Experience" device this summer -- wasn't designed to be a vanilla Android device. So there will be trade-offs, make no mistake.

There's been significantly more said about the HTC One GE (as we've taken to calling it around here) in regards to how things will work, and what's been stripped out.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini gets a video walkthrough courtesy of Three UK

We get a better look at the new, smaller addition to the Galaxy lineup

The new Galaxy S4 Mini was released this morning with little more than a press release and some stock photos, but now UK carrier Three has just released a promotional video to give us a better look. In the relatively short video, a representative from the carrier gives a walk around the handset with some nice close-up shots of the screen, back plate and sides. We also get a refresher on the specs, which aren't going to blow anyone away: a 4.3-inch qHD (540x960) display, 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, 8MP camera and a 1900mAh battery inside.

There's nothing crazy new being revealed here, but it is nice to see the device in someone's hand rather than just in a press rendering. Throughout the video you do get the impression that the S4 Mini will be much easier to hold in the hand when compared to its 5-inch sibling. Does seeing the device "in person" (so to speak) give you some insight on whether you'll want to pick up one of these? Let us know in the comments.

Steven Sinofsky says he carries an HTC One

The former President of Windows now carries an Android device

Speaking to Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the D11 conference, former head of Windows at Microsoft Steven Sinofsky dropped a small statement that he now uses an Android device. Responding to the question by Walt of "... what do you make of Google and Apple?", Sinofsky replied with a statement that today he carries an Android phone and that "We're all HTC One users these days." Speaking more broadly about Google and Android, Sinfosky actually had a bit of praise for what the company has accomplished with its platform, even going so far as to say that "Android is great".

He also spoke to some of the challenges that come along with having such a large number of APIs and products to manage at once, naturally. It's interesting to hear a former head of Windows speak so openly about using a different platform, but it's not at all surprising that Sinfosky would be intrigued by other devices -- even if he was still at Microsoft.

The HTC One 'Google Edition' is official!

HTC One with Nexus User Experience arriving June 26 for $599

It's been reported since last week, but now it's official -- in addition to the the 'Google Edition' Samsung Galaxy S4, Google will offer an HTC One running its 'Nexus user experience' software -- that's vanilla/stock Android to the rest of us.

Android boss Sundar Pichai revealed the news on-stage at the D11 conference, saying it runs the same core UI as Nexus devices. The 'Google Edition' HTC One, he says, will hit Google Play on June 26, priced at $599. It'll run on AT&T and T-Mobile in the U.S. Pichai also mentioned that the Nexus line will continue alongside these 'Google Edition' handsets.

So now that it's all official, who's planning on picking up Google's HTC One? Or will you be sticking with the HTC version, or even the Google Edition GS4? Share your thoughts down in the comments!

Update: Google's Hugo Barra has followed up with an official render, and says the HTC One with Nexus User Experience will come with Beats Audio. HTC's official statement on the device confirms the launch date, and the fact that it ships with Android 4.2.2 and will get updates straight from Google.